Former Chiefs DE Allen Bailey to sign with Falcons

Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Allen Bailey has finally found a new home.

Bailey had been left unsigned after doing a tour around the league working out for numerous teams, including the Patriots, Panthers and most recently the Falcons. There were some reports that he could make a return with the Chiefs, but those all but dried up after the Chiefs selected Khalen Saunders in the third round of this year’s draft.

According to numerous reports, Bailey is set to sign with the Falcons. Bailey is coming off of the best season of his career, with 38 total tackles, six sacks, four fumble recoveries and 10 quarterback hits.

It’ll be good news for the Falcons, who haven’t exactly had a ton of pass rush production out of their defensive line lately. Bailey will help free up DT Grady Jarrett, who recently signed an extension, to wreak havoc in opposing backfields. He did the same for Chris Jones the past several seasons.

The #Falcons added to their defense today, signing FA DE Allen Bailey to a 2-year deal for $10.5M, source said. He gets $6M this year with $3.5M guaranteed. Atlanta lost DL Michael Bennett today.

At this point in the offseason, two years with a total value of $10.5 million is solid money for Bailey, though it’s probably not what he was hoping for coming off of a contract year.

The Falcons already lost defensive lineman Michael Bennett indefinitely due to an injury in training camp. They also lost defensive lineman Steven Means to an Achilles injury earlier this offseason. So the addition of Bailey made a lot of sense, given the attrition the Falcons have seen. They’re also a team with a long history of grabbing former Chiefs players, especially when Scott Pioli was working in the front office. He brought in players like Tyson Jackson, Dontari Poe and even Ron Parker last offseason. Bailey gets to reunite with former Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, who is serving as a senior defensive consultant for the Falcons.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, it’s well past the point where any free agent departure would net them something in return via the compensatory pick formula. Still, fans should be happy to see a longtime Chief get a chance to extend his career.

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